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SF-105 Thunderbolt
Designer: '''Sukhoi-Boeing '''Manufacturer: '''St-Petersburg '''Operator: '''Terran Confederation, Etherite Federation, Baal'Ken Hordes, Elven Star Empire, Dread Ones '''Number produced: Around 13 000. Role: '''Strike fighter / Wild Weasel '''Empty Weight: '24.1 metric tons '''Loaded Weight: '''39.8 metric tons (with all attachment loaded) '''Height: '''5.8 meters '''Crew: '''1 pilot, 1 gunner '''Shields: 6'5 Churchill-rated generator '''Armor: '''Lunar Polymer Bravo, 48mm average, reinforced crew seating area, ferrotungsten alloy '''Powerplant: '''2 Mercury AL-415HM Ion turbines '''Combat Range: '''Up to 5 warps without external tanks loaded '''Maximum speed: '''Regular operational speed of 985 m/s '''Armament: Onboard: 1 M86B Gatling 33mm Railgun, loaded with antimatter and shield penetrating shells Hardpoints: 1 nose mount for additional guns (pair of Fusion canons, pair of 35mm railguns or pair of Radiant-class) or electronics 2 undercarriage mount for heavy weapons (Ghostmaker torpedoes or 2 HARPOON) or external fuel tanks 6 underwing mounts for standard weapons (additional gunpods, HARPOON, rocket pods or anti-ship bombs) or external fuel tanks On later models, the underwing mounts could mount ARM and Cluster Missile units, along with standard Boomslang SRM. Description As the early results of the F-1 Wrath experiment came pouring in to the Confederate Spacy Strategic Analysis Center, plans to produce different models of starfighters began pouring in. The first new model to be commissioned, according to the CSSAC, would need to be a tactical strike craft capable of carrying far more ordonnance then the Wrath in order to effectively attack enemy ships and installations. Three different strike fighters were proposed, the XF-102, XF-104 and the XF-105, and in the end, due to ease of production and cost, the XF-105 was selected. A strange hybrid of the AH-155 "Cheyenne" attack VTOL and the A-24 ground support conventional aircraft, the front of the fighter looked like the front of an attack helicopter, with its two seater back to back setup, a gunner in front and the pilot and electronic operator in the back. The nose was also equipped with a heavy gatling railgun mounted on a swivel turret. The wings were built to carry much heavier load then the F-1 Wrath and each side of the fuselage was equipped to receive a heavy weapon pod. Much of the equipment was compatible with the original F-1 weapon pods, but the internal targeting and radar/ladar was not designed for targeting and tracking small targets, as the original role of the SF-105 was to take out large targets. Early failures The SF-105 was deployed heavily on all fronts of both the Protectorate War and Grey War as soon as it reached the hands of the Spacy. Sadly, the SF-105 did not have the result expected, mainly due to its lack of agility and targeting computer failures. While the strike fighter could easily cripple ships up to the size of a battleship, it was very fragile against anti-pod weaponry and against light support units of those larger ships. Losses mounted quite rapidly and many commanders preferred to send a squadron of F-1 with heavy weapons rather then deploy the F-105 and expect severe losses. Etherites had also purchased a large number of F-105 and faced a similar problem, but since their production capacity and purchasing power was much lower, the Federation was forced to spend some of their hard kept resources to convert many of their F-105 to make them more capable. Luckily for all those involved, the design of the Thunderbolt let the crew survive much of the destruction of their craft. Conversion and a new breath of life As the Korrenian conflict began, much of the F-105 began a huge conversion procedure. While the role of the Thunderbolt remained the same, much of its internal electronic was replaced with more modern equipment, primarily to target and track smaller targets. Some of the fighter weight was redistributed and much of its manoeuvring equipment was retrofitted, making the F-105 far more agile, albeit still less then F-1 Wrath and Illusions. Most significan was, however, the introduction of Wild Weasel capacity for the Thunderbolt, allowing the strike fighters to be loaded with various anti-radiation warheads, primarily to counter the Korrenian "Catoblepas" missile platforms which had decimated fighter groups since the beginning of the conflict. Even when fighting enemy warships these weapons were efficient, as they rapidly tracked and destroyed CIWS emplacements, allowing for easier attack runs by various fighter groups. In popular culture The F-105 was often used in political attack ads during the Protectorate and Grey Wars, showing the careless spending of the ruling party on foreign wars. Captured F-105s were also used as propaganda tools by the Protectorate Association to show how useless starfighters were against their heavy ship forces. The most popular depiction of this fighter, however, comes from the television series "Alpha Squadron", which introduced Tango squadron at the end of its second season. Even though Tango Squadron was an important part of the First Carrier Group forces, the F-105 team was generally showed as a group of secondary characters, but their role in taking out important targets for the First Carrier Group made them a fan favourite and helped make the reputation of the strike fighter much better. As much of Tango squadron was also from other space-capable nations, it also drew much international audience to the show as they wanted to see how they would be represented.Category:Starfighter Category:Terran Confederation